Perhaps you are asking why?
Why go without your phone for any period of time. Phones are brilliant for almost everything, work or play.
The problem is that while we are connected to our almost magical smart devices we are disconnected from human reality. There is evidence to show that excessive use causes insomnia and emotional instability, and not to mention physical dangers of using when you are walking about. We are so focused on the next message, meme or post we just don’t give our minds time to breathe. As the phones become smarter, are we becoming less smart?
Let’s reboot into the real world
Stopping using your device, even for a few minutes, will give you a much richer engagement in the real world, unburdened by those constant pings and other distractions.
Seeing a movie in the cinema is all the more enriching as you are compelled to switch off. And then consider how annoying the screens are of those that don’t.
Swipe away stress
There are many benefits for leaving them behind; it can give you stress relief from the constant pinging of alerts. Ignorance can definitely be bliss. Do all your messages really need an instant answer?
Often, if we don’t respond in the moment, problems sort themselves out anyway, saving you the hassle and time. Win win!
Feel freer and closer to your world
If you’ve ever left your phone behind, the first reaction is surely panic! But when you’ve resigned yourself to being without it for the day, the world can be a calmer, more interesting place.
You will find yourself enjoying a natural interaction with the world and people you encounter at a much deeper and satisfying level. (In fact, how we humans have always existed until about 15 years ago!)
Can you do it?
Our challenge to you is to try to spend even just short periods without your device. Here’s some for starters:
For starters…
- Turn off phone when watching TV
- Go for a walk without it
- Leave your phone on airplane mode if you have some spare time.
Or try ‘Advanced’…
- Try for a 5 hours in a day
- Turn off completely for one day a week
Note down how many hours you can spend in a week being phone-less.
10, 20 hours? Can you manage more?
Let us know how you get on. Did anything good or bad happen?
